An allegorical scene; a young woman at centre holding a wreath above her head, at left is a old man leaning on a stick, a younger man at right who holds a small dragon 1510 - 1520

This engraving, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was created by Marcantonio Raimondi, an Italian Renaissance artist active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Raimondi, who lived in a time of immense cultural and intellectual change, captures a scene laden with symbolism. At the center, a young woman is celebrated, holding a wreath above her head. To her left, a figure of old age leans on a stick, while a younger man to the right holds a small dragon. The allegory is a meditation on the life cycle. The artist here uses the female body as a site for examining cultural values, with woman as the embodiment of virtue and wisdom being honored by the old and young. This engraving encourages us to reflect on our own perceptions of value, and the significance of the passage of time.